Painesville Police Receive Drugged Driving Enforcement Grant

The Painesville Police department has been awarded $7,497.69 from the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) to help combat drugged driving fatal crashes. The police department will use the funding, beginning in the 2019 fiscal year, to pay for extra patrols on city roads to target drugged driving and raise awareness of the issue.

 

This year marks the first time this type of grant funding has been offered in Ohio to combat the problem of drugged driving, which is defined as the use of all illegal narcotics and the overuse of prescription or over-the-counter medications while operating a vehicle.

 

“We are looking to protect not only drivers, but the passengers and innocent people on our roadways who are affected by impaired driving. Everyone is familiar with drunk driving and its deadly consequences, but drugged driving has become increasingly more common, and frequently creates dangerous situations and tragic outcomes,” said Painesville Police Chief Dan Waterman. “This funding will be instrumental in helping us get more of our officers on the road in an enforcement effort that ensures the safety of our residents and those who travel our roadways.”

 

Traffic Safety Grant Program Overview

The Federal Highway Safety Act of 1966 directed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation to jointly administer various highway safety projects. This federal grant program provides federal funds administered through the Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS), Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP)/ Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) to eligible entities to be used in part for, but not limited to, traffic safety education, enforcement and awareness.